Past Events

Staples Distribution Center Tour

On November 9, 2012, we visited the Staples Distribution Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Upon arriving, we sat in a conference room and learned how the facility operates. Serving stores between southern Texas, the Rocky Mountains, northern North Dakota, and the western Midwest, the facility we visited was the second-largest of the company’s four distribution centers that service stores.

After the presentation, we toured the warehouse. Robots and human-driven forklifts transported pallets through wide aisles to the designated shipping, receiving, and returns areas along the perimeter. Long conveyer belts and storage units occupied the remainder of the space. We were impressed by the computer systems that controlled most of the operations.

Before leaving the warehouse, we discussed what we had seen. Though some of us had toured distribution centers before and some of us had not, we agreed that it was a day well spent. It is not possible to experience a warehouse from reading a textbook!

enVista Presentation

Representatives from enVista, a supply chain consulting firm, visited SCOMA one evening. In addition to discussing careers and the recruiting process, they explained their work environment. Even though one of the representatives had graduated from college only two years ago, she had already visited several clients and fixed their supply chain issues. Supply chain consulting is a potential career path for the event attendees that the enVista representatives described in detail.